Founder Profile
Edward Temple
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Edward Temple?
Edward Temple is a founder of Principal Financial Group, Inc., which was founded in 1879.
- Company founded
- Principal Financial Group, Inc.
- Founded
- 1879
Background
Edward Temple was a banker in Chariton, Iowa, with experience in rural banking and finance before organizing the Bankers Life Association in 1879.
Founding Story
Edward Temple organized the Bankers Life Association in Des Moines in 1879 as an assessment-based mutual association offering low-cost life insurance to bankers and their employees. That association grew into Bankers Life Company and eventually Principal Financial Group, which still lists 1879 as its founding year. Edward Temple was born in 1867.
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Edward Temple. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Principal Financial Group 2025 Form 10-K (Principal Financial Group, Inc.)
- Principal management biography - Deanna D. Strable (Principal Financial Group, Inc.)